Contentment
by Landon Richardson
Summary: Steve McGarrett would be the first one to admit that he had made a mistake the night before, now the only two questions in his mind were how he could make it up to his partner and whether, just perhaps, her could get what he always wanted. (Part three of the emotion trilogy, McDanni (featuring a female Danni)


Contentment

By

Landon Richardson

Official Disclaimer

**The characters of Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Steve' McGarrett, Chin Ho Kelly, Kono Kalakaua and Catherine Rollins do not belong to me in any shape or form. I am merely using them for my own entertainment purposes.**

**The character of Detective Sergeant Danielle 'Danni' Williams probably can be considered to be mine by now. Although she was originally based on male Danny, she soon evolved becoming her own person. She has her own background, her own family, her own history and her own distinct personality. This isn't to say that the Danny Williams we all know and love is completely gone, he still emerges through her at times. I like to think of female Danni as what Danny could have been if everything in his life had gone his way. As in full custody of Grace and a decent relationship with his ex.**

**The character of Grace has also changed slightly due to the change in Danni. Her surname is Taylor as this is her father's surname and was Danni's married name (Danni reverted back to her maiden name when she was divorced). Her parents also are amicable which has also impacted Grace but never fear, she's still the sweetheart we know and love, if anything she's more a sweetheart now.**

**The character of Gabriel Brent belong to me as does any other character who you do not recognise from the show. Please do not use them, or my version of Danni and Grace without first asking for my permission to do so.**

**Thank you.**

Author Note

**Welcome to Contentment**

**The last in the Emotion trilogy. If you haven't read Jealousy or Confusion then please read them before reading this one so that it makes sense**

**Its always a satisfying thing to finish a story but an even better one to finish off a saga of story. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story and the previous two as well.**

**I have several new sagas planned and stories to finish and have updated my profile to reflect them so if you're curious about what is coming then please feel free to have a gander at it.**

**Please enjoy!**

Official Summary

**Steve McGarrett would be the first one to admit that he had made a mistake the night before, now the only two questions in his mind were how he could make it up to his partner and whether, just perhaps, her could get what he always wanted. (Part three of the emotion trilogy, McDanni (featuring a female Danni)**

Overall Romances

**Steve McGarrett / Danni Williams (McDanni)**

**Mentions of Steve McGarrett / Catherine Rollins (McRollins)**

**Mentions of Gabriel Brent / Danni Williams (Gabni)**

Warning

**This story features a female Danni Williams in place of a male Danny Williams. Although in some stories I write, Danny does exist, he does not exist in this one.**

**If this is not your cup of tea then please hit the back button.**

Another note

**I do not have a Beta so please forgive any mistakes which may creep in, I always do my best to edit the story and check it but sometimes mistakes do creep in.**

**The places I've mentioned in Hawaii are ones which come from google, including the addresses. I've never been to Hawaii myself in person so I apologise for any mistakes which I may make, these are not intentional.**

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Steve McGarrett shifted on his bed, his face scrunching up against the sun which was steadily streaming through his curtains, curtains which he could have sworn he had closed the night before, when he had eventually been able to move from the sofa and up to his bedroom.

His head ached and his eyes felt tired but he wasn't surprised by that fact. A maximum of two- or three-hours sleep would do that to anyone.

He tilted his head on the pillow, groaning when he saw that it was only five AM, telling him that his guess of how long he had been asleep had been an overestimate.

The sensible thing would be to turn over, pull the sheet over his head to black out the sun and to get a few more hours sleep, it was a Saturday and unless something came up which could only be dealt with by his team then they should be safe to actively enjoy a rare day to relax or do whatever else they wanted to do.

Steve's initial plan had been to have a quick breakfast before heading over to his partner Danni Williams house to pick her up and take her surfing, not that he had told her his plan but he knew that Danni's young daughter Grace was spending the weekend with her father which meant that Danni would be alone and if there was anyone who needed a fun day out to remind her that she was still young herself and allowed to let her hair down then it was her.

That had been his initial plan but that had now been blown out of the water.

In the cold light of day, lying alone in his bed, Steve could admit if only to himself that essentially kidnapping his tipsy partner from her girl's night out by throwing her over his shoulder and bringing her back to his place, probably hadn't been his brightest idea.

Nor had making his jealousy about her potentially hooking up with someone else so clearly obvious.

He groaned, his mind bringing up the image of Danni's half angry, half confused expression from the night before when he had warned her about remaining professional at work. He had said that to Danni Williams who was without doubt the most professional member of his team, even the Detectives in HPD who had made it abundantly clear that the majority of them despised her for everything which she represented couldn't use that against her, having to make do instead with calling her a Ha'ole or their other favourite nickname for her, the ice queen.

All of which pointed to the fact that HPD needed to update their qualifications for being a Detective because anyone who thought that Danni was an ice queen clearly needed to have their eyes and Detective skills tested. Anyone who knew her well enough to burrow beneath her defensive shields would know that she was one of the kindest, most warm-hearted people they would ever have the fortune to meet.

And he had indicated that she wasn't professional.

He groaned again, running his hands down his face, no wonder she had left the room before the movie was over, seeking escape and bed, something which he knew she would never have done if she hadn't of been angry with what he had said to her, he was simply grateful at this point that she had headed up to the spare room instead of calling a taxi and heading home before they could talk.

He kicked off the sheet and threw his legs over, ignoring the cool wood against the sole of his feet, his eyes glancing towards the window as he pushed himself up to a standing position and headed over to the set of drawers pulling the top one open and selected a fresh pair of boxer shorts before he closed it, pulling them on and glanced around him, taking a deep breathe as he turned and left the room. He headed down the hallway, his eyes automatically landing on the door to the spare room which he knew that Danni had taken as her own on the rare times she slept over at his place.

He stood outside the door, warring silently with himself, his fingers twitching at his side before he gave into the desire and moved towards the door, easing it open and moved quietly into the room, looking around him, a thankful feeling sweeping over the area when his eyes landed on Danni fast asleep in the bed with a peaceful look on her face.

For a moment he simply stood there, content to simply watch her before he forced himself to step back outside and close the door behind him. He headed through the house and into the kitchen, moving over to the coffee machine and flipping the power button on before he reached up and pulled out two mugs, placing them on the side. A glance at the clock on the wall showed that he had wasted some time but not enough for him to be able to start breakfast.

He had the ingredients for Danni's favourite breakfast but he didn't want to begin it yet, knowing if he did then he only option would be to wake up Danni and he doubted if he did that, that it would win him any favour with her.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the familiar sound of the coffee machine being finished and reached out, picking it up and pouring the hot liquid into one of the mugs. He picked it up and took a long, much needed sip of it, taking a moment to savour the taste of it before he headed out onto the lanai, his gaze snagging out on the ocean in front of him, contemplating whether having a swim would be a good idea. On one hand he did love his morning swims, needed to familiar routine to centre himself for the upcoming day but on the other hand, if Danni woke up while he was out swimming then she could easily leave and that was the last thing he wanted.

Shaking his head, he gave the water one final look before he turned and headed back inside, moving through the rooms until he found himself in the living room and lowered himself onto the sofa, his mind already trying to figure out the best way to approach his conversation with Danni, knowing that he had to explain his behaviour the night before to her without ruining their relationship.

Somehow, he doubted that him saying he had feelings for her and had been feeling jealous would go down particularly well, not knowing the independent streak in her. Really, he should just be thankful that she hadn't kicked his ass the night before.

"I thought you would have been outside swimming by now, giving what the time is."

Steve blinked and tilted his head, his eyes landing on Danni who was standing at the bottom of the staircase. He noticed that she had changed from the previous night, dressed now in a pair of jeans and a simple red vest top.

"I didn't really feel like it today." He told her with a shrug, tightening his grip on his mug as he lifted it and took a sip.

"No?" She replied, sounding surprised as she moved. Bridging the gap between them and placed the back of her hand against his forehead as she spoke. "Are you coming down with something? You don't feel hot" She mused, tilting her head to one side as she looked at him.

"I'm fine Danni, just a bit tired." He replied before he nodded his head in the direction of the kitchen. "There's fresh coffee in the pot if you want some, I've already got a mug out for you, it's on the side."

Danni glanced towards the kitchen, nodding as she withdrew her hand.

"Some coffee right about now would be a godsend." She said, reaching up briefly to rub at her temple before she turned around and headed into the direction of the kitchen, Steve's eyes watching her progress as she went, his mind trying to come up with the best way of broaching the topic at hand. He needed to do it early as well because he still wanted to spend the rest of the day together, just the two of them so he could make up for the previous night.

He blinked when she reappeared, mug in hand and moved over to the spare chair, lowering herself onto it, blowing on the hot liquid before she took a cautious sip of it.

Silence reigned between them, a silence which for the first time he had known her felt uncomfortable and he hated it.

"Look Danni" He said finally as he placed his mug on the table, breathing out as he leaned forward and rested his forearms on his thighs aware of her eyes flickering over to him, a questioning look on her face. He swallowed before continuing to speak, trying to pick his words carefully. "I wanted to apologise to you about my behaviour last night. I was the one who was acting unprofessional and I'm sorry, I had no right to say what I did you to you, you didn't deserve it." He admitted, meeting her eyes directly.

She remained quiet for a moment, a slight puzzled frown coming to her face. She looked away taking another sip of her coffee before she spoke, a tone to her voice which he was more used to hearing in the interrogation room then in his house and being directed at him.

"Then why did you?"

Steve froze at the simple question, blinking at her and wondering why he hadn't expected that question from her when it was one of the most obvious ones which she could have asked him.

"What?" He said finally, trying to find out a way which he could answer her without revealing to her the real reason behind his actions.

"You say that you're sorry for the way you acted which I appreciate, however before I accept the apology, I want to hear from your own mouth why you acted the way that you did." She explained in a calm voice.

"I was stressed out and I took it out on you." He said, frowning when she shook her head at him.

"That's not it" She said firmly, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "If we had been in the middle of a case then maybe but we had finished the case and it was one which while awful hadn't ended too badly, we got all the people involved and got them by the book. You were clearly hanging out with Chin so you were relaxed, so what was it? It can't be because Kono and I said no to Chin's offer about going out because we have done it before." She pointed out.

"I don't know what you want me to say Danni, I've already told you that I was sorry." He said, annoyance flavouring his voice.

"What I want is the truth" She replied as she placed her own mug on the table and came to her feet, moving away from the chair and over to where she had dumped her bag the night before.

Steve watched her for a moment before his heart sank when she shouldered the bag and turned around clearly on route to the front door with a resolute look on her face which had Steve on his feet in an instant.

"Danni." He said moving after her and catching her by the elbow bringing her to a halt though she didn't turn around to face him.

"Let go of me Steve." She told him, a tense tone to her voice.

"Only if you stay so we can talk" He replied, tightening his hold on her as though to confirm his point.

"Talk about what exactly Steve? I asked you a question and you lied to me to my face, if you're going to do that then what exactly is there to talk about?" She pointed out.

Steve closed his eyes briefly, ducking his head before he spoke, barely able to force the words out of his mouth.

"I was jealous."

For a moment Danni remained still before she turned around so she was facing him.

"What?" She said finally.

"You wanted to know why I acted the way I did last night? Well it was because I was jealous." He remarked, finally letting go on her arm.

"Jealous of what exactly?" She questioned him quietly.

"Danni…" He began to say stopping when she merely remained silent, clearly waiting for him to reply to her question, a look in her eyes which warned him that if he didn't answer her then she would be out of the door. He knew that their relationship and partnership was strong enough to weather if he didn't answer her but he also knew that any progress of getting to know Danni would be gone in an instant and it was something he didn't want to happen. He breathed out, swallowing his pride and gave her the truth. "I was jealous that you were there with Brent and that he was all over you like a rash."

Danni stared at him, her eyes widening before she sighed, glancing once back over her shoulder towards the door before focusing on him again.

"Let's sit back down." She suggested, waving her hand towards the sofa. She slipped past him and moved towards it, dropping down onto it and placed her bag next to her feet before she patted the free spot beside her.

Steve nodded, taking a moment to fortify himself before he followed her, taking the space which, she had indicated.

"So" He said finally, picking his mug up and sipping at the now lukewarm liquid.

"So" She repeated, biting down on her lower lip for a moment before she tilted her head to the side so she could look at him. "What is it exactly about Brent that made you jealous? Was it because he was there with some of the team? Or was it because he was in Hawaii in general?"

"I can hardly stop him coming to Hawaii as much as I wish I could." He muttered as he leaned back resting the mug on his thigh. "But no Danni, Brent being in the club didn't make me jealous."

"So, it's something to do with me then?" She pressed, breathing out when Steve gave her a single nod. "Why?" She asked simply.

"You know why" He responded finally meeting her gaze directly.

"Steve…" She began to say, stopping when Steve spoke over her.

"No Danni, I'm sick of dancing around this. I was jealous because I have feelings for you which go beyond mere friendship or partnership. I'm pretty positive that everyone bar bloody Gabriel Brent is aware that I do. I hated seeing you with him, he isn't good enough for you." He stated, clenching his jaw.

"So rather then simply telling me how you feel, you instead throw me over your shoulder even though you were aware I was there on a girls night and then insulted me by questioning my professionalism."

"I never said I was good at expression myself Danni." Steve said with a shrug "I am sorry about that though; I didn't handle last night well."

"You didn't." Danni agreed, meeting his eyes and searching them. "What about Catherine?"

"Catherine?" He replied, raising his eyebrow at her.

"You said that you have feelings for me but you still, as far as I know, have a thing going on with Catherine." She pointed out, shifting on the sofa as though the topic of conversation left her feeling uncomfortable.

"I think Cath has mislead you Danni, she and I are just friends. We used to be friends with benefits that's true but we haven't done that for a while now, not since…" He fell silent for a moment.

"Not since?" Danni prompted.

"Not since I realised how I felt about you. I couldn't continue with her once I knew that, it felt too much like cheating so I called it off with her. I'm not saying this to make you feel bad and I'm not expecting you to feel the same way and as far as I'm concerned it won't change the way we are together if you don't." He said.

Danni stared at him, the silence between them feeling heavy before she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I do."

"You do what sorry?" Steve asked her, picking up on the puzzled note in his own voice.

"I do feel the same way about you. I have done so for a while now." She clarified.

Steve's breathe caught in his throat as he merely blinked at her.

"Why… why didn't you say anything?" He managed to say finally.

"Why didn't you?" She countered, raising her eyebrow in a challenging manner.

"Okay, you got me there" He responded, reaching up and running his hand through his hair. "So, what do you want to do about it?"

"What do you want?" She asked.

"What I want is a relationship with you, I want to be able to date you and be with you, it's all I've wanted for a while.

"Me too, so I think we should give this a go and see where it brings us but if you do something like you did last night then we will be done with, I can't be with someone who carts me over his shoulder like I'm a sack of potatoes."

"Understood." He said with a smile before he reached out and framed her cheek in his hand as he leaned towards her, hesitating for a moment to give her a chance to pull away from him before smiling and bridged the gap between them, kissing her, a feeling washing over him which he had never felt before.

One of sheer and utter contentment.

It was a feeling he was determined to experience again and again.

Whatever it took.

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Author Note

**Thanks for taking the time to read. An especially big thank you if you have left me a review, favourite the story or decided to follow it. **

**I really appreciate it**


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